Comparison of Articles about the Effects of Digital Technology - Essay Example

In his article, Carr (2008) discussed the effects of digital technology on our minds, and how it is affecting our concentration. The way information is reachable on the internet is programming our minds in a novel fashion, in which we are getting void of deep thinking and meaningful concentration. Just like Google, there are a lot of search engines where we can find any kind of information we want; and, we only jump from one chunk of information to another without delving into longer pieces of writing.

The fast retrieval of information, or our skimming of information, has taken away our power to read books and informative pieces of writing. New technologies like connecting brains with the internet are being proposed, which will very likely snatch away our ultimate power to read, think, and analyze. Summary 2 Pinker (2010) states in his article that technology is not to be blamed when it comes to issues related to attention spans, concentration, and information retrieval. He is of the view that it is the fault of human who gets distracted by constantly arriving ads and glowing packets of information on the internet.

We, as humans, must tame ourselves to maintain our attention spans and not get distracted. Moreover, the ability to read, critique, analyze and evaluate never came naturally to human beings even before the advent of technology. Instead, even in older times, these abilities were learned through instruction and practice. These abilities can still be polished even today through practice and experience. Technology and the internet are only helping us in our professional fields. Style Analyses Carr’s style of presenting his argument is very easy to understand and self-explanatory.

It is an article that even a layman can well understand. It provokes thinking that is very much related to every individual who uses a computer these days. However, the latter half of the article seems to be going a bit off-road, but the overall impression is nice. On the other hand, Pinker’s style is very professional. His article is not very easy to understand in the beginning, but the latter half is easy to comprehend. Both writers, with their lucid styles, have presented their arguments in a very beautiful manner.

Personal Reflection Since I am tech-savvy, I agree with Pinker more. I find his article very effective since I believe that technology has brought much ease and novelty into our personal and professional lives. I do not agree with Carr when he says, “Our ability to interpret text, to make the rich mental connections that form when we read deeply and without distraction, remains largely disengaged” (2008, par. 9) because ability to interpret and analyze comes with learning, age, and experience.

That has nothing to do with technology. I second Pinker (2010, par. 10) when he says that these abilities “must be acquired in special institutions, which we call universities, and maintained with constant upkeep” since it is not in control of the internet to take them away. I believe that technology has created a great seismic impact on every level of our professions. For example, educators have been trying to modify the instructional process with the help of technology. Teachers started feeling the necessity of incorporating information and communication technology in teaching language.